Anyone who has ever thought about trying to market a business or design a brand will know how important the logo is. And anyone who thinks about this for a moment will be able to determine why it might be quite so important too. Without an effective logo for your business, you can’t really expect it to do what it is meant to. A good logo will draw in attention to your business, make it considerably more popular and make the marketing a lot more effective on the whole. It will have a way of making the brand stick in people’s minds. If you want to make sure that you are achieving all this, then you are going to need to think about what you need to do to make an effective logo. In this article, we are going to look at just a few of the most important rules for making that happen.
Simplicity
One of the most important things you can say about the design of a logo is that it needs to be perfectly simple. The simplicity is what draws people in and it is for that reason that you need to think about working on this as well as possible. The irony here is that simpler designs are often the most difficult to create, and you will probably find that you are going to have to think about it long and hard before you can create a simple logo design which works. At the other end of the scale, you don’t want it to be over-simplified, as that is going to mean that it is completely ineffective in that way instead. So find this balance as well as you can if you want to really make sure that your logo is going to be effective.
Application
The way that the logo is applied is as important as the design, so we’ll take a moment now to discuss this too. Application in this sense means where you put the logo, and how you use it. You need to make sure that it is going to be effective for the branding of the business, which probably means using it wherever you would have your brand appear. But that can be hard if your logo is not likely to lend itself well to various specific kinds of places. You want to try and design a logo, therefore, that will look good anywhere. If you see your logo on a drawstring backpack, you want to feel that it looks right, as well as seeing it on a letterhead, the side of your building, or on the news. Think about the application from the start, and you should be able to have much more success with your logo.
Originality
All of this is unlikely to be effective unless it is also original, so make sure that you are working on that too. Originality is hugely centrally important to your logo being successful, and it is something that can be hard to make a reality. If your logo is not original, then that ultimately means that you are going to have trouble with people considering it to be anything special. You want to stand out, in short, and that is not going to happen if your logo does not stand out from the others as well as possible. The best way to achieve strong originality is to make sure that you are focusing on what it is that makes your business unique, and then trying to introduce those elements into the logo itself as best as you can. You can do this more easily than you might think, and it is going to mean that your logo is much more successful indeed.
Boldness
As well as the above, you are also going to need to make sure that your logo is bold. It is very difficult to achieve this in line with the other rules, especially simplicity, but that is why it is so effective when you make it work: after all, that means that you are going to be able to expect much more from your marketing overall. Having a bold logo that really makes a visual impression in a strong way is hugely important for your marketing and branding, and something that you need to work on as much as possible to make it a reality.
If you can make these things come true, your logo is going to be much more effective, and your business will have much more luck in general, so make sure you focus on these.
https://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/automobile-automotive-brake-2922140.jpg8001200StrategyDrivenhttps://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.pngStrategyDriven2019-10-27 16:00:412019-10-27 16:23:024 Rules To An Effective Logo
Every single business out there has a budget. Every single business who wants to survive beyond the first five years is going to listen to and obey their budget! It might be hard going at times, but it’ll be worth any potential risks in the long run.
And because of that, you might want to work out what costs are currently the biggest sucks on your budget. You need to be sure you can provide for them, month in and month out, and always be sure to prioritise them until you feel secure enough to move on. It might just be an example of growth, at the end of the day!
Advertising Costs
Advertising is a big part of the business process. If you have a company, and that company sells a product, everything from brand name to your finished logo is going to come off as an advertising expense. It’s been found that businesses can spend at least 20% of their total budget on marketing, and that’s a huge chunk of money for one department alone.
As a small business, you’re going to be placing emphasis on advertising, to ensure you get the word out – have you budgeted enough money?
Travel Costs
Ferrying yourself to and from work every day is going to get expensive. Of course, you should be able to claim at least most of these expenses back at the end of the fiscal year, but that doesn’t change how expensive they can be in the meantime. You’ll still have to fork out for the fuel, and the car costs, and the mileage covered under your insurance, and that’s hard on a small business or startup fund.
At the same time, if your business makes use of a company fleet for general employee use, these costs are going to be maximised tenfold. How do you cut back on these kinds of expenses, when every working day is filled with employees going from A to B and back again? You’ve got investors to meet and clients to satisfy, after all.
Well, mandating a policy of writing down time spent with a vehicle, and making sure it’s returned at a certain time at the end of the day can help you to gather control. And with something like a Fleet Fuel Card, you should be able to save on standard fuel costs, no matter how much you need to use each year.
Rent Costs
And finally, you’re going to have to fork out for rent costs month by month too. Even if you’re running a home business, and have a mortgage to pay, you’re still going to end up counting these living expenses as a business cost.
And seeing as lease agreements are usually dependent on the kind of business you’re running, you’re going to be using some very niche and specific calculations to try and factor rent into the budget.
Your business budget can be quite stretched, so make sure you’re aware of sinkholes.
https://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/pexels-photo-590045.jpeg10601600StrategyDrivenhttps://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.pngStrategyDriven2019-10-25 16:00:572019-10-26 00:29:33What Harms Your Business Budget The Most?
As a business owner, it’s your responsibility to look after your employees. The happier they are, the more productive they’ll be, so everybody benefits if you treat your employees well. But one thing that a lot of business owners don’t put that much thought into is their employees’ health. If they are unhealthy, it impacts your business in a lot of different ways. They are more likely to take sick days and when they are at work, they won’t be as productive. If you offer health insurance, you will end up spending more money because your employees will need treatment more often. It’s for those reasons that employee health should be a priority in any business. These are some of the best ways that you can create a healthier office environment for everybody.
Keep The Office Clean
A dirty office is not just unpleasant, but it’s also bad for people’s health. If the office is dirty then people will not be as productive because they don’t have a positive environment to work in. But they’re also more likely to get sick because they’re surrounded by bacteria all the time. So, you need to make sure that the office is always kept clean. Get a corporate office cleaning service to come in on a regular basis and give the office a deep clean, but your employees also need to take some responsibility. If everybody keeps their own desk area clean and people chip in to keep the communal areas tidy, it’s a lot easier to stay on top of.
Increase Natural Light
Natural light is important for good health because we need it to produce vitamin D. Unfortunately, vitamin D deficiencies are incredibly common because most people simply don’t spend enough time outside and they sit in a dark office all day, under artificial light. Lack of natural light can also have an impact on mood and productivity as well, so it’s important that you try to boost natural light in the office if possible.
Regular Health And Safety Checks
Health and safety can be a bit of a pain, but it’s there for a reason and it benefits your business in a lot of ways. If you ignore health and safety checks, you just increase the risk of injuries. When an employee gets injured, it’s bad news for you because they could sue you and even if they don’t, you will have to go without a good employee until they are well enough to work again. But that could all have been avoided if you just carried out some regular health and safety checks. And don’t forget to also remind your employees to go for regular check-ups with the dentist, like this Invisalign Dentist in Brentwood CA for example.
Give More Time Off
Stress and mental health issues are one of the biggest health problems that you have to tackle. If your employees are overworked, they will suffer from burnout and they may develop a more serious mental health problem. That’s why it’s important that you give people more time off so they have time to recharge their batteries. They will be more productive when they return to work, so even though they have more time off, their overall output will be increased.
These are all simple changes that you can make in your business to improve employee health.
https://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/pasted-image-0-7.png720890StrategyDrivenhttps://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.pngStrategyDriven2019-10-25 13:00:032020-02-22 15:41:594 Ways To Boost Employee Health In Your Business
Are you planning a big event for your business and wondering how to go about promoting it effectively in order to see a decent turn out? Here are some helpful tips to aid you in generating the highest amount of interest at the lowest possible price.
Leverage social media
R. Couri Hay Creative Public Relations company insists that your most powerful tool when it comes to promoting an event is social media. Even if you do not have a sizeable following to start off with, fear not. The majority of social media platforms offer paid advertising opportunities that will allow you to maximize your reach and hone in on your target market with extremely detailed targeting. The paid advertising can be customized to suit your budget and offers accurate, interesting metrics to assist you in tracking your progress.
Focus on multifaceted marketing
While social media is your most powerful tool, it isn’t your only tool. In order to see the results that you are hoping for, you will need to create a multifaceted marketing plan which outlines how you intend to use each available tool to promote the event. Fix up your website and ensure that the event information is front and center, have a large sign made for outside your business premises, have flyers made, send out a mass emailer, and contact a PR company to help you spread the word even further.
Consider hiring an influencer
Ultimately, it does not matter how well marketed your event is if the event itself does not come across as appealing to your target market. Go the extra mile to truly give them a reason to attend. Aside from freebies and epic entertainment, a great way in which to do this is to hire a relevant influencer to host the event or to announce their attendance. For instance, if you own a shoe brand and are launching a new design, invite a popular fashion blogger to promote and attend the event, and perhaps to give the opening address. His or her fans will be keen to see them in public, and will trust their opinion, therefore making it more likely for them to come (and bring their friends!).
Report back
It is absolutely essential that you provide an insider’s look into how your event went down and just how successful it was – even if it wasn’t. If you can make it look as though it was unmissable and that everyone who was there had a wonderful time, people are much more likely to show an interest in attending the next event that you host. Also be sure to encourage all attendees to speak about their event experience on social media using a specific hashtag. You may even wish to run a competition in order to amp up the engagement even further, such as a competition for ‘best dressed’ at the event via Instagram.
Now that you know how to effectively promote your event, it is time to get working on making it the success that it was always destined to be.
https://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/67773252-396A-41F5-BD03-DD7A5D79C792.jpeg40166016StrategyDrivenhttps://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.pngStrategyDriven2019-10-25 11:00:442019-10-25 23:20:55How to Ensure a Great Turn Out at Your Brand’s Next Event
In contrast to startups, which often experiment until they gain their footing in the market, established businesses are notoriously slow to change.
This is unfortunate because we’re currently experiencing the biggest global upheaval of any time in history since the industrial revolution.
In order to adapt to a climate charged by automation, market shifts, and globalization, companies need to evolve to meet changing priorities and conditions.
That’s how you maintain your competitive edge.
It’s the essence of agility.
Why Agility is Important for Your Business
Agility is defined by McKinsey & Company as “… the ability of an organization to renew itself, adapt, change quickly, and thrive in an environment characterized by rapid change, ambiguity, and turbulence.”
This is often driven by necessity during a major paradigm shift, but the need is also present during market fluctuations and other upheavals, major and minor.
It’s no longer the domain of tech companies, as industries from manufacturing to finance are entering a tech-driven phase.
These transformations are shaped by:
The introduction of disruptive technologies
Fast-evolving business environments
Rapid information democratization and digitization
Competition to find and recruit new talent
When a business prioritizes adopting an agile business model, they’re better able to weather business downturns and see challenges as opportunities for growth and innovation.
In order to become a lean, flexible company that can rise to the top of your market, you must be willing to take a critical look at procedures and enact change, infuse staff with the ability to take ownership of successes and failures and embrace a new corporate mindset.
If you want to improve your company’s level of agility, ask yourself the following questions:
Where are we struggling, and what can we do to change this?
How do we implement an agile mindset to incorporate both sides of the productivity equation?
How can we embed a more customer-centric focus on our corporate culture?
How can we empower our employees to take greater accountability for outcomes?
Part of this process takes a bit of self-awareness and honest assessment.
The rest can be gleaned by mirroring companies that have successfully achieved greater agility.
Factors That Contribute to Business Agility
While 90 percent of the most successful enterprises feel that agility is critical to their success, only 26 percent of corporations feel that their company has achieved the level of necessary flexibility.
What’s more, a survey conducted by Korn Ferry for Focus found that only 74 percent of the respondents who felt agility was critical incorporate it into the hiring/promotion process. This number drops to 66 percent of peer, non-WMAC enterprises.
What are the traits that define agile corporations?
You’ll find that the best of them exhibit the following characteristics.
#1 They Support Employee Engagement
Transform your workforce from a team of individuals who wait for orders to a cooperative force that acts proactively to make decisions.
You should obtain feedback and involve staff members in the decision-making process.
When staff feels invested and involved in the success of the enterprise, they’re better able to align themselves with the company’s goals and mission.
#2 They Use Advanced Technology to Enhance, Rather Than Replace, Human Productivity
Between fatigue and inattention brought on by boredom or redundancy, core business functions are prone to human error.
Using automation not only makes your business more efficient – and core processes like cost accounting more accurate – it also saves time and money.
Take inventory management, for example. Overstocking is an issue for many businesses because keeping the right balance of goods-on-hand to meet demand is often a guessing game.
If you don’t have a product in-stock, your customers will find another supplier. Too much inventory, and you’ll end up marking items down just to get rid of them.
Inventory management software offers data-driven automation and takes the guesswork out of ordering stock while freeing inventory and production managers to focus on more critical activities.
#3 They Model Non-Traditional Corporate Structures
There was a time when executives liked to refer to their companies as well-oiled machines.
In a report conducted by McKinsey & Company, the concept of a modern, agile enterprise likens them more to dynamic organisms than static, rigid structures.
The focus is on rapid forward movement without losing stability and working within cross-functional teams rather than adhering to a strict top-down hierarchy.
#4 They Focus More on Developing Leadership Than Managing Staff
Change begins at the top.
In order for an agile corporate culture to flourish, managers have to become more than just middlemen and women who pass on and enforce orders from the decision-makers to the rank and file.
You need to give those under your direction purpose and a vested interest in successful outcomes. This can be achieved by recognizing and developing talent as well as giving staff a higher level of autonomy.
Engage in continuous employee management activities that foster growth and career development. There’s even performance management technology that’s designed to aid leaders through employee training and education. However, nothing beats the personal touch of human-to-human interaction.
Final Thoughts
We’re experiencing a sea change in how business is conducted in the 21st century.
If you want to remain competitive, agility is essential.
Developing even a few of the above characteristics will increase efficiency and return a great ROI in terms of time and money.
About the Author
Joe Peters is a Baltimore-based freelance writer and an ultimate techie. When he is not working his magic as a marketing consultant, this incurable tech junkie devours the news on the latest gadgets and binge-watches his favorite TV shows. Follow him on @bmorepeters
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Business Programs
4 Rules To An Effective Logo
/in Marketing & Sales/by StrategyDrivenSimplicity
One of the most important things you can say about the design of a logo is that it needs to be perfectly simple. The simplicity is what draws people in and it is for that reason that you need to think about working on this as well as possible. The irony here is that simpler designs are often the most difficult to create, and you will probably find that you are going to have to think about it long and hard before you can create a simple logo design which works. At the other end of the scale, you don’t want it to be over-simplified, as that is going to mean that it is completely ineffective in that way instead. So find this balance as well as you can if you want to really make sure that your logo is going to be effective.
Application
The way that the logo is applied is as important as the design, so we’ll take a moment now to discuss this too. Application in this sense means where you put the logo, and how you use it. You need to make sure that it is going to be effective for the branding of the business, which probably means using it wherever you would have your brand appear. But that can be hard if your logo is not likely to lend itself well to various specific kinds of places. You want to try and design a logo, therefore, that will look good anywhere. If you see your logo on a drawstring backpack, you want to feel that it looks right, as well as seeing it on a letterhead, the side of your building, or on the news. Think about the application from the start, and you should be able to have much more success with your logo.
All of this is unlikely to be effective unless it is also original, so make sure that you are working on that too. Originality is hugely centrally important to your logo being successful, and it is something that can be hard to make a reality. If your logo is not original, then that ultimately means that you are going to have trouble with people considering it to be anything special. You want to stand out, in short, and that is not going to happen if your logo does not stand out from the others as well as possible. The best way to achieve strong originality is to make sure that you are focusing on what it is that makes your business unique, and then trying to introduce those elements into the logo itself as best as you can. You can do this more easily than you might think, and it is going to mean that your logo is much more successful indeed.
Boldness
As well as the above, you are also going to need to make sure that your logo is bold. It is very difficult to achieve this in line with the other rules, especially simplicity, but that is why it is so effective when you make it work: after all, that means that you are going to be able to expect much more from your marketing overall. Having a bold logo that really makes a visual impression in a strong way is hugely important for your marketing and branding, and something that you need to work on as much as possible to make it a reality.
If you can make these things come true, your logo is going to be much more effective, and your business will have much more luck in general, so make sure you focus on these.
What Harms Your Business Budget The Most?
/in Managing Your Finances/by StrategyDrivenEvery single business out there has a budget. Every single business who wants to survive beyond the first five years is going to listen to and obey their budget! It might be hard going at times, but it’ll be worth any potential risks in the long run.
And because of that, you might want to work out what costs are currently the biggest sucks on your budget. You need to be sure you can provide for them, month in and month out, and always be sure to prioritise them until you feel secure enough to move on. It might just be an example of growth, at the end of the day!
Advertising Costs
Advertising is a big part of the business process. If you have a company, and that company sells a product, everything from brand name to your finished logo is going to come off as an advertising expense. It’s been found that businesses can spend at least 20% of their total budget on marketing, and that’s a huge chunk of money for one department alone.
As a small business, you’re going to be placing emphasis on advertising, to ensure you get the word out – have you budgeted enough money?
Travel Costs
Ferrying yourself to and from work every day is going to get expensive. Of course, you should be able to claim at least most of these expenses back at the end of the fiscal year, but that doesn’t change how expensive they can be in the meantime. You’ll still have to fork out for the fuel, and the car costs, and the mileage covered under your insurance, and that’s hard on a small business or startup fund.
At the same time, if your business makes use of a company fleet for general employee use, these costs are going to be maximised tenfold. How do you cut back on these kinds of expenses, when every working day is filled with employees going from A to B and back again? You’ve got investors to meet and clients to satisfy, after all.
Well, mandating a policy of writing down time spent with a vehicle, and making sure it’s returned at a certain time at the end of the day can help you to gather control. And with something like a Fleet Fuel Card, you should be able to save on standard fuel costs, no matter how much you need to use each year.
Rent Costs
And finally, you’re going to have to fork out for rent costs month by month too. Even if you’re running a home business, and have a mortgage to pay, you’re still going to end up counting these living expenses as a business cost.
And seeing as lease agreements are usually dependent on the kind of business you’re running, you’re going to be using some very niche and specific calculations to try and factor rent into the budget.
Your business budget can be quite stretched, so make sure you’re aware of sinkholes.
4 Ways To Boost Employee Health In Your Business
/in Talent Management/by StrategyDrivenAs a business owner, it’s your responsibility to look after your employees. The happier they are, the more productive they’ll be, so everybody benefits if you treat your employees well. But one thing that a lot of business owners don’t put that much thought into is their employees’ health. If they are unhealthy, it impacts your business in a lot of different ways. They are more likely to take sick days and when they are at work, they won’t be as productive. If you offer health insurance, you will end up spending more money because your employees will need treatment more often. It’s for those reasons that employee health should be a priority in any business. These are some of the best ways that you can create a healthier office environment for everybody.
Keep The Office Clean
A dirty office is not just unpleasant, but it’s also bad for people’s health. If the office is dirty then people will not be as productive because they don’t have a positive environment to work in. But they’re also more likely to get sick because they’re surrounded by bacteria all the time. So, you need to make sure that the office is always kept clean. Get a corporate office cleaning service to come in on a regular basis and give the office a deep clean, but your employees also need to take some responsibility. If everybody keeps their own desk area clean and people chip in to keep the communal areas tidy, it’s a lot easier to stay on top of.
Increase Natural Light
Natural light is important for good health because we need it to produce vitamin D. Unfortunately, vitamin D deficiencies are incredibly common because most people simply don’t spend enough time outside and they sit in a dark office all day, under artificial light. Lack of natural light can also have an impact on mood and productivity as well, so it’s important that you try to boost natural light in the office if possible.
Regular Health And Safety Checks
Health and safety can be a bit of a pain, but it’s there for a reason and it benefits your business in a lot of ways. If you ignore health and safety checks, you just increase the risk of injuries. When an employee gets injured, it’s bad news for you because they could sue you and even if they don’t, you will have to go without a good employee until they are well enough to work again. But that could all have been avoided if you just carried out some regular health and safety checks. And don’t forget to also remind your employees to go for regular check-ups with the dentist, like this Invisalign Dentist in Brentwood CA for example.
Give More Time Off
Stress and mental health issues are one of the biggest health problems that you have to tackle. If your employees are overworked, they will suffer from burnout and they may develop a more serious mental health problem. That’s why it’s important that you give people more time off so they have time to recharge their batteries. They will be more productive when they return to work, so even though they have more time off, their overall output will be increased.
These are all simple changes that you can make in your business to improve employee health.
How to Ensure a Great Turn Out at Your Brand’s Next Event
/in Marketing & Sales/by StrategyDrivenLeverage social media
R. Couri Hay Creative Public Relations company insists that your most powerful tool when it comes to promoting an event is social media. Even if you do not have a sizeable following to start off with, fear not. The majority of social media platforms offer paid advertising opportunities that will allow you to maximize your reach and hone in on your target market with extremely detailed targeting. The paid advertising can be customized to suit your budget and offers accurate, interesting metrics to assist you in tracking your progress.
Focus on multifaceted marketing
While social media is your most powerful tool, it isn’t your only tool. In order to see the results that you are hoping for, you will need to create a multifaceted marketing plan which outlines how you intend to use each available tool to promote the event. Fix up your website and ensure that the event information is front and center, have a large sign made for outside your business premises, have flyers made, send out a mass emailer, and contact a PR company to help you spread the word even further.
Consider hiring an influencer
Ultimately, it does not matter how well marketed your event is if the event itself does not come across as appealing to your target market. Go the extra mile to truly give them a reason to attend. Aside from freebies and epic entertainment, a great way in which to do this is to hire a relevant influencer to host the event or to announce their attendance. For instance, if you own a shoe brand and are launching a new design, invite a popular fashion blogger to promote and attend the event, and perhaps to give the opening address. His or her fans will be keen to see them in public, and will trust their opinion, therefore making it more likely for them to come (and bring their friends!).
Report back
It is absolutely essential that you provide an insider’s look into how your event went down and just how successful it was – even if it wasn’t. If you can make it look as though it was unmissable and that everyone who was there had a wonderful time, people are much more likely to show an interest in attending the next event that you host. Also be sure to encourage all attendees to speak about their event experience on social media using a specific hashtag. You may even wish to run a competition in order to amp up the engagement even further, such as a competition for ‘best dressed’ at the event via Instagram.
Now that you know how to effectively promote your event, it is time to get working on making it the success that it was always destined to be.
How to Make Your Management Process More Agile
/in Tactical Execution/by StrategyDrivenThis is unfortunate because we’re currently experiencing the biggest global upheaval of any time in history since the industrial revolution.
In order to adapt to a climate charged by automation, market shifts, and globalization, companies need to evolve to meet changing priorities and conditions.
That’s how you maintain your competitive edge.
It’s the essence of agility.
Why Agility is Important for Your Business
Agility is defined by McKinsey & Company as “… the ability of an organization to renew itself, adapt, change quickly, and thrive in an environment characterized by rapid change, ambiguity, and turbulence.”
This is often driven by necessity during a major paradigm shift, but the need is also present during market fluctuations and other upheavals, major and minor.
It’s no longer the domain of tech companies, as industries from manufacturing to finance are entering a tech-driven phase.
These transformations are shaped by:
When a business prioritizes adopting an agile business model, they’re better able to weather business downturns and see challenges as opportunities for growth and innovation.
Agility allows your company to:
In order to become a lean, flexible company that can rise to the top of your market, you must be willing to take a critical look at procedures and enact change, infuse staff with the ability to take ownership of successes and failures and embrace a new corporate mindset.
If you want to improve your company’s level of agility, ask yourself the following questions:
Part of this process takes a bit of self-awareness and honest assessment.
The rest can be gleaned by mirroring companies that have successfully achieved greater agility.
Factors That Contribute to Business Agility
While 90 percent of the most successful enterprises feel that agility is critical to their success, only 26 percent of corporations feel that their company has achieved the level of necessary flexibility.
What’s more, a survey conducted by Korn Ferry for Focus found that only 74 percent of the respondents who felt agility was critical incorporate it into the hiring/promotion process. This number drops to 66 percent of peer, non-WMAC enterprises.
What are the traits that define agile corporations?
You’ll find that the best of them exhibit the following characteristics.
#1 They Support Employee Engagement
Transform your workforce from a team of individuals who wait for orders to a cooperative force that acts proactively to make decisions.
You should obtain feedback and involve staff members in the decision-making process.
When staff feels invested and involved in the success of the enterprise, they’re better able to align themselves with the company’s goals and mission.
However, those goals must be clearly stated and understood by the staff at every level.
#2 They Use Advanced Technology to Enhance, Rather Than Replace, Human Productivity
Between fatigue and inattention brought on by boredom or redundancy, core business functions are prone to human error.
Using automation not only makes your business more efficient – and core processes like cost accounting more accurate – it also saves time and money.
Take inventory management, for example. Overstocking is an issue for many businesses because keeping the right balance of goods-on-hand to meet demand is often a guessing game.
If you don’t have a product in-stock, your customers will find another supplier. Too much inventory, and you’ll end up marking items down just to get rid of them.
With the traditional way of inventory control, the average ratio of sales to inventory is 1:1.43.
Inventory management software offers data-driven automation and takes the guesswork out of ordering stock while freeing inventory and production managers to focus on more critical activities.
#3 They Model Non-Traditional Corporate Structures
There was a time when executives liked to refer to their companies as well-oiled machines.
In a report conducted by McKinsey & Company, the concept of a modern, agile enterprise likens them more to dynamic organisms than static, rigid structures.
The focus is on rapid forward movement without losing stability and working within cross-functional teams rather than adhering to a strict top-down hierarchy.
#4 They Focus More on Developing Leadership Than Managing Staff
Change begins at the top.
In order for an agile corporate culture to flourish, managers have to become more than just middlemen and women who pass on and enforce orders from the decision-makers to the rank and file.
You need to give those under your direction purpose and a vested interest in successful outcomes. This can be achieved by recognizing and developing talent as well as giving staff a higher level of autonomy.
Engage in continuous employee management activities that foster growth and career development. There’s even performance management technology that’s designed to aid leaders through employee training and education. However, nothing beats the personal touch of human-to-human interaction.
Final Thoughts
We’re experiencing a sea change in how business is conducted in the 21st century.
If you want to remain competitive, agility is essential.
Developing even a few of the above characteristics will increase efficiency and return a great ROI in terms of time and money.
About the Author
Joe Peters is a Baltimore-based freelance writer and an ultimate techie. When he is not working his magic as a marketing consultant, this incurable tech junkie devours the news on the latest gadgets and binge-watches his favorite TV shows. Follow him on @bmorepeters